Weedless fish bait



March 8, 1949. J. R. KUNzl-:LMAN 2,463,978

WEEDLES S FISH BAIT Filgd April 2, 1945 jig/f2 Patented Mar. 8, 1949UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My present invention relates to improvements in artiiicial fish baitsand more particularly to a weedless fish bait that simulates a smallfish.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a fish bait havingone or more hooks retracted therein and which automatically projectoutwardly of the bait lat the time a fish strikes the bait.

Another object of this invention is to provide a iish bait in which thehook or hooks may be held retracted with a variable sensitivity.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawing.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the noveldevices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined inthe claim.

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates the invention, likecharacters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a view of the improved bait in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a View in central longitudinal vertical section;

Fig. 3 is a view corresponding to Fig. 2 with the exception that thehooks are projected;

Fig. 4 is a detail view with some parts sectioned on the line 4-4 ofFig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail view principally in section taken on the irregularline 5--5 of Fig. 3.

The fish bait, which, as shown, simulates a small fish, comprises anupper section 6, a lower section I and a head section 8. The twosections 6 and 'I are duplicates and have therein a cavity 9. Upper andlower hook passageways I0 in the sections 6 and l have communicationWith the cavity 9 at the rear end portion thereof.

Integral with the sections 6 and 1 at their front ends is a two-partboss II that is in axial alignment with the bait. The head section 3 isrecessed to receive the boss II and has screw-threaded engagementtherewith, as indicated at I2. Obviously, the head section 8 by itsthreaded engagement with the boss I I holds the sections 6 and 'I inassembled relation. A pair of oblique dowel pins I3, rearwardly of thecavity 9, further assist in holding the sections 6 and I in assembledrelation. A bore I4 extends axially through the head section 8 and thesections 6 and 1 at their meeting surfaces, see Fig. 5.

A rod I5 is mounted in the bore I4 for endwise sliding movement.Normally, this rod I5 extends the entire length of the bore I4. Theouter end lll f1 the sections 8 and 1 which act `as stops.

portion of the rod I5 is shaped to form an eye I6 to which a sh line,not shown, may be attached. The rod I5, at its intermediate portion, iscoiled to form a relatively large eye I'I that extends transversely inthe cavity 9. A pair of fish hooks I8 are anchored for movement into andout of the cavity 9 through the passageways IU. The shanks I9 of thehooks I 8 extend through the eye Il and are connected by a coiled spring20. These shanks I9 are anchored t0 the section 'I by a pin 2I whichextends through the spring 29 and has its end portions secured in thesides of said section close to the front end of the cavity 9. Both hooksI8, their shanks I9 and the spring 20 are all formed from a single pieceof spring steel wire. Both shanks I9 are intermediately bent to form ineach thereof a hump 22, The spring 20 is under strain to separate theshanks I9 and project the hooks I8 outwardly through the passageways I0.When the hooks I8 are in operative positions, as shown in Fig. 3, thesections 23 of the shanks I9 between the hooks I8 and the humps 22 aresubstantially parallel and are yieldingly held by the spring 20 againstThe sections 24 of the shanks between the spring 20 and the humps 22 arein diverging relation.

Normally, the rod I5 is entirely Within the bait and the eye I'Iencircles the shank sections 23 and holds the hooks I8 retracted andentirely within the cavity 9, as shown in Fig. 2. An outward pull on therod I5 relative to the body will cause the eye I'I to ride over thehumps 22, downwardly on the shank section 24 and thereby release theshanks I9 and permit the tensioned spring 20 to separate said shanks I9and project the hooks I8 outwardly through the passageways I9, as shownin Fig. 3.

When the rod I5 is manually pushed inwardly, from its position shown inFig. 3, the eye II will ride over the diverging shank section 24 with acam action and thereby draw the shanks I9 toward each other and pull thehooks I8 through the passageways Ill and into the cavity 9. The nalinward movement of the rod I5 Will force the eye Il over the humps 22and onto the shank section 23 and thereby hold the hooks retracted. asshown in Fig. 2.

By drawing the eye l'l outwardly on the humps 22, the sensitivity atwhich the hooks I8 are released may be controlled, at will.

Obviously, the above described weedless sh bait may be cast among weedsand freely pulled therethrough Without catching thereon or on any otherobstruction. When a iish strikes, the

movement of the bait will be arrested and a continued pull by thefisherman on the bait will pull the rod I5 outwardly relative to thebait, and thereby release the hooks I8. The released hooks I8 will beprojected through the passageways I9 under the action of the spring 20and catch the sh. Or in case the fish starts to run with the bait, thesame result will take place.

From what has been said, it will be understood that the weedless fishbait described is capable of modication as to details of constructionand arrangement within the scope of the invention herein disclosed andclaimed.

What I claim is:

In a bait of the class described, a rigid body having a transverseentrance passageway at its intermediate portion, said body having a deepcavity extending forwardly of the entrance passageway, a pair of hooksin the passageway and having spring connected Shanks extending into thecavity, said shanks being under strain to project the hooks in oppositedirections outwardly through the passageway, the walls of the body inthe cavity limiting the separation of the shanks and the projection ofrthe hooks outwardly through the passageway, the shanks of the hookshaving outwardly extending humps, and a rod extending longitudinallythrough the passageway and the cavity and having its end portionsmounted in the body for endwise sliding movement, said rod having at itsforemost end means for attaching a, iish line thereto, said rod havingwithin the cavity a transverse eye through which the shanks of the hooksextend, said eye, when the rod is pushed rearwardly endwise relative tothe body, rides on the humps of the shanks and draws said hooks into thepassageway, and said eye, when the rod is pulled endwise forwardlyrelative to the body, rides on the humps of the Shanks and releases thehooks for projection outwardly of the cavity by said spring connectedshanks.

JOI-1N R. KUNZELMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 312,796 Clark July 7, 1885985,659 Clayton Feb. 28, `1911 1,012,548 Hill Dec. 19, 1911 1,197,826Guise Sept. l2, 1916 1,217,689 Berglund Feb. 27, 1917 1,459,042 WregeJune 19, 1923 1,726,063 Glassman Aug.,27, 1929

